'Threat to the security of the nation': Jammu & Kashmir Bank terminates service of Chief Manager for alleged ISI links

Chief Manager, Sajad Bazaz was terminated under Rule/Provision 12.29 in the Officers Service Manual (OSM), an order issued by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer J&K Bank read.

The order said the action was taken following a report from credible agencies, warranting his dismissal from service.

"Whereas the undersigned is satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case contained in the report received from credible agencies, that the activities of Mr. Sajad Ahmad Bazaz, Chief Manager, Code na 4484 posted at Internal Communication and Marketing Department are such as to warrant his dismissal from service under Rule/Provision 12:29 in OSM," the order read.

"AND WHEREAS, the undersigned is satisfied under Rule/Provision 12.29 in OSM that in the interest of the security of the State, it is not expedient to hold an enquiry in the case of Mr. Sajad Ahmad Bazaz, Chief Manager, Code no 4484. Accordingly, I hereby dismiss Mr. Sajad Ahmad Bazaz, Chief Manager, Code no. 4484 from service, with immediate effect," it further read.

Investigations have uncovered a shocking revelation of deep infiltration by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and terrorist groups within the administrative structure of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Bank.

Sajad Ahmad Bazaz, a former head of internal communication at the bank, has been identified as a key asset working for these covert forces. Despite his role within the bank and as a correspondent for the newspaper Greater Kashmir, Bazaz skilfully propagated the narrative of secessionism and terrorism in the region, the Rising Kashmir reported citing the findings of the investigation.

Further investigations have revealed that Bazaz's career trajectory was meticulously arranged by the ISI and those aligned with the separatist-terror narrative. By 2004, he had risen to the position of Head of Internal Communication within the bank, the report said.

The details of this trajectory have shocked the bank's management as Bazaz's covert activities went unnoticed. He was elevated from a clerk to a gazetted equivalent post of Editor, created especially for him, it said.

The circumstances surrounding his appointment to the post of Editor reveal manipulation.

Despite open knowledge of his employment at Greater Kashmir while at J&K Bank, Bazaz was selected for the position of Editor by an interview board, including the then Chairman of the Bank. The board ignored his open secessionist views and alignment with Pakistan's narrative, according to the report.

Bazaz's subsequent conduct as Editor reveals conspiracy and subversion.

He used his position to financially benefit select newspapers through the bank's advertisement money. His activities showed a clash of interest as he worked for both Greater Kashmir and J&K Bank.

The data on advertisement money allocation from 2015 to 2023 indicates disproportionate favour towards Greater Kashmir.

Investigations suggest he was instrumental in setting up additional media platforms to amplify the secessionist narrative.

Bazaz's involvement in supporting news magazines like 'Kashmir Reader', 'Kashmir Conveyor', 'Kashmir Narrator', and 'Honour' with J&K Bank's money points to subversion. Investigators suggest that seed money for these projects came from Pakistan, which Bazaz facilitated through the bank's channels.

The evidence collected underscores the deeply entrenched influence of Pakistan's ISI and separatist-terror networks within the J&K Bank's administrative structure.

Greater Kashmir had allotted an official e-mail address: sajjadbazaz@greaterkashmir.com. 

“Bazaz's association with the terrorist-separatist networks goes back to 1990 when he was allegedly planted in J&K Bank by the ISI through Fayaz Kaloo, the owner and editor of Greater Kashmir.  Starting as a Cashier-cum-Clerk, Bazaz's rapid promotions within the bank were viewed with suspicion by investigators, ultimately leading them to uncover his dual role as a Pakistani asset, reveals the investigation.”

"In his columns for Greater Kashmir, Bazaz unabashedly advanced the ISI's agenda, glorifying the secessionist-terror campaign in J&K," revealed investigators. They highlighted how his writing systematically supported Pakistan's narrative on UN intervention in Kashmir and rejected bilateral talks as outlined in the Shimla Agreement.

Moreover, Bazaz's ascent from a clerk to a specially-created Editor position within the bank raised significant questions. Despite failing to meet several eligibility criteria, he was granted this role, indicating a carefully orchestrated subversion of normal procedures.

His dual roles within the bank and Greater Kashmir allowed him to channel funds to newspapers that further propagated the same pro-Pakistan and anti-India narrative. Bazaz's extensive connections with other elements of the terror ecosystem also came to light.

He was reportedly associated with people who operated as terrorists and propagandists simultaneously, effectively blurring the lines between journalism and insurgency.

His intricate connections extended internationally, even allegedly aiding the establishment of pro-Pakistan media platforms in Europe.

The investigators revealed that “Several terrorist outfits during the 1990s had placed their representatives in Press colony Srinagar, designated by them as ‘Publicity Chiefs’ like Rashid Ahmad as mentioned before and many such people camouflaging as journalists were actually active terrorists or important senior functionaries of terror outfits.”